Hawaii Drug Abuse Prevention Groups Focus On Combating Fentanyl 0 With accidental overdoses and drug-related deaths rising in Hawaii, adolescents are the focus of law enforcement and prevention programs.
As the fentanyl crisis spreads across Hawaii, Honolulu police and prevention groups are increasingly focusing on efforts to reduce adolescent drug use and limit the number of accidental overdoses and deaths caused by the synthetic opioid.
Gregory Tjapkes, executive director of the Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii, said although less than 5% of drug abuse by adolescents in the islands involves hard drugs such as fentanyl, it is critical to reach out to teens with a drug this dangerous. So while law enforcement targets the criminals importing and selling illegal drugs, social service groups are focused on preventing adolescent drug abuse before it starts.
“If youth are in poverty, homelessness, broken homes, sometimes they start tapping into substances,” Tjapkes said. “We work with them to try and make better decisions and cope with these situations.”
